How to Photograph Your Dog.

I learned the hard way that I can not work from photos supplied by clients.  The one major piece that I did this way took me three times as long to complete because of inadequate photos.

When you look at a snapshot of your dog,  a dog that you see everyday,  your brain fills in where the photo fails.   Remember, I have never seen your dog!  My brain can’t fill in.

When I take resouce photos for a job I take many, many photos and it is usually a combination of three or four that I end up using as my resource information.  Rarely is there all the information I need in one photo.

Anyway, here are some tips for getting good photos of your dog.

Go outside on a sunny day.  Have treats in your pocket and a helper.  If you have a point and shoot camera set it to the sports setting at the highest resolution that your camera has.  This will give you a fast shutter speed and a low iso.

With the sun behind you, sit on the ground.  Position the dog broadside to you and have the helper lure the dog’s head slightly up and on a 45 degree angle towards you (but not looking at you).  You should be able to just see both eyes (you should be able to see a tiny bit of reflection in both eyes).  Hold the camera as still as you possibly can.  If you tuck your elbows into your body and kind of brace against yourself while shooting you can eliminate a lot of motion.  Even pushing the shutter button moves the camra.  Take a few shots, give the cookie to the dog (this is important)  and release.  Then set up again.

If you are doing this for an artist, take many shots with the same light exposure, dog facing the same direction at about the same range.  If you want another location, set it up the same way and make multiple shots in the same place.  Your artist will love you for it!!